Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge is located in central lower Michigan, approximately 25 miles south of Saginaw Bay. It was established in 1953 to provide habitat for migratory waterfowl. Known locally as the "Shiawassee Flats," the refuge lies in the Saginaw Bay watershed, historically one of the largest and most productive wetland ecosystems in Michigan. Refuge habitat consists of riparian, floodplain/bottomland hardwood forests and emergent marshes, as well as moist soil management units and croplands.